Chapter 106 – Request (1)
As Kynemon and Lampades stepped out of the office, they were greeted by , who still wore that suspicious, sly smile.
“So, did that clear up your questions?”
In a way, it did. But as their curiosity was satisfied, a gnawing sense of unease began to grow in its place.
Neither of them had the energy to respond to ‘ jovial demeanor. They simply nodded once before walking off, their footsteps heavy as they made their way to their assigned lodgings.
Kynemon broke the silence first.
“Did you figure it out?”
“What?”
“That so-called ‘employee’ who barged in.”
“…It was Kaicle, wasn’t it.”
“You’re not even surprised?” Kynemon found Lampades’ calm, almost indifferent reaction puzzling. Lampades was no coward—no one who survived the frontlines as a fixer could be—but Kynemon doubted Lampades had anticipated this development.
Lampades’ thoughts were far more resigned. “I give up. I just don’t know anymore.”
Initially, Carisia seemed like a completely different breed from . “Was that just an act?” he wondered.
Today’s events had only muddled things further. bowed his head to Carisia, and her subtle displays of cunning were enough to swallow the world whole. A force capable of calling an elusive tower master like Kaicle nothing more than an employee—there was a weight to that title.
“Employee” carried layers of meaning. It wasn’t just about having control over someone like Kaicle. It was a statement: to her, even someone like him was no more significant than any other mage. It was also a declaration—seeing Kaicle here would go nowhere; no one would dare reveal such information. Whether through espionage or simply silencing them directly, Carisia could make sure of that.
Lampades figured it was probably both.
While Lampades struggled with the stark reality of Carisia’s true power, Kynemon found an odd sense of relief.
He’d been living his life constantly on edge, even though no one had been chasing him. He had been forever haunted by the shadow of , fearing the day he would emerge from the darkness to claim what was “owed.”
Even in his home, that fear had never left. He imagined waiting just outside his window, lurking in a dark alley, or maybe even hiding inside the walls, ready to demand payment for the relic Kynemon had fled with.
Now, that long-held anxiety was finally gone. Being dragged back to face and the ominous evil he served had severed that invisible chain of dread.
By confronting the very situation he feared most, there was nothing left to be afraid of. A strange peace was born from resignation.
“This all feels like some kind of multi-level marketing scam.”
He had followed Lampades, met again, and now stood before Carisia, each encounter pushing him higher up the pyramid.
“So, are you really going to tell them everything?”
“And you? Still planning to follow ‘ every order?”
The two former fixers, bound by the strange camaraderie of those who had survived death together, walked on. Though they were on the path to hell, at least they weren’t alone.
***
While Lampades and Kaicle were lamenting their situation elsewhere, was summoned to Carisia’s office.
“.”
“Yes, Madam.”
“What were you doing?”
“Huh?”
Carisia picked up a lock of her hair, twirling it around her finger—a habit she had when there was much to say, but it wasn’t quite organized in her mind.
“So, you said you’d stand guard outside the office, right? But somehow, Kaicle managed to wander in. That wouldn’t have happened if you’d stayed where you were.”
let out a sigh. He’d briefly stepped away when he got an urgent message, and in that short span—disaster.
“I had to make up a story on the spot, you know.”
“How did you manage?”
“I just said he was one of our employees.”
“With all due respect, Madam, neither Lampades nor Kynemon have particularly bad eyesight.”
Carisia shrugged.
“If I say he’s not Kaicle, what can they do?”
“Oh, Madam…!”
Carisia hadn’t just blurted out the ‘employee’ excuse recklessly. She understood that as long as she insisted, there was no way Kynemon or Lampades could refute it.
Sometimes, power is its own form of persuasion. The force of persuasion is still a kind of force, after all.
rubbed his forehead. Sure, it was his fault for stepping away, but Carisia could have come up with a better solution with her intellect, couldn’t she?
“If you say things like that, it makes the company sound like some shadowy organization plotting world domination—like when villains say things like, ‘That guy was the weakest among us.'”
“What are you talking about? We are a shadowy organization plotting world domination.”
“Oh.”
Now that thought about it, she wasn’t wrong. After all, the founding purpose of Hydra Corp was to destroy the White Light Tower. He quickly changed the subject.
“It’s about time we consider revealing the company’s true purpose to the board members.”
“It would be best to announce it once the Artificial Commandments are complete.”
“Unfortunately, it’s hard to say when that will be.”
Carisia nodded at ‘ words, but then she looked up, something occurring to her.
“So, what was so important that you had to step away?”
“A message from the Divine Cult. It was half a thank-you for the last time, and half them fishing for how exactly I managed to take down a Tower Elder.”
Carisia stroked her chin. Indeed, aside from herself, the only group aware that had taken down a Tower Elder was the Divine Cult.
“Does this mean they need you for something again? Even if they’re outsiders, it feels like they’re relying on you too much.”
She didn’t press for details on the Divine Cult’s message. If assistance were needed, he would report back when the time came.
Otherwise, as usual, he would work his magic and later groan, “That was exhausting.”
A memory from the Talo incident flashed in her mind—when the Tower Elders had chased after .
Even for , it would have been nearly impossible to win a battle against multiple Elders without injury. Carisia pulled out a crystal she had stored in her pocket and tossed it to him.
“Madam?”
“Take this with you, just in case. I don’t want you getting caught in another dangerous situation like last time.”
shook his head, placing the crystal back in her hand.
“No need. I haven’t set a specific date for a meeting with the Divine Cult yet.”
Carisia reluctantly pocketed the crystal, and shrugged casually.
“So, what exactly did you tell them?”
“I was straightforward. But I made it seem like most of the ideas were mine. I framed you as just some poor salesman forced to drag his friends into things under the orders of a grumpy boss.”
couldn’t help but be impressed. For Carisia to take the blame and tarnish her own reputation for the sake of her subordinates? That was unexpected.
“Oh, right. I forgot to discuss Kynemon’s payment. Could you ask him about that when you get the chance?” nodded.
Which is why, the next morning, Kynemon found standing right outside his door.
***
“Ugh!?”
“Ha, what’s with the overreaction?”
flashed what he believed was a warm, friendly smile.
“I must say, you’re still quite disciplined. Waking up at the same time as you did during your fixer days.”
“What brings you here?”
“Haha, so we’ve become the kind of people who only meet when there’s business, huh?”
Kynemon clamped his mouth shut. What was the point of bringing up their past friendship now? Was it a jab for running away?
“But yes, I do have business today. Would you mind sparing me a bit of your time?”
Kynemon glanced at , then reluctantly nodded. He knew there was no point in refusing.
They walked down the hall of Hydra Corp, eventually arriving at the employee cafeteria. had prepared the meeting here to soften the mood before they had to talk about work.
Though Kynemon was baffled, he grabbed a tray of food.
“Please, eat while we talk.”
As suspicion welled up within him, spoke.
“Our CEO is quite the fair person.”
“Fair?”
“Indeed. While I called you here out of old friendship, work is work. The CEO says she’s willing to meet whatever conditions you want for your payment.”
“Payment…”
Kynemon swallowed the thought: *What use is money or anything else if your plan comes to fruition?*
“I don’t really want anything.”
“Come now, don’t say that. Have I ever lied to you?”
Suddenly, an image from the past flashed through Kynemon’s mind—his mage tower, crushed by the hands of the Dark Mages.
*If the world is going to turn upside down anyway, why not satisfy a personal grudge along the way?*
Resigned to his fate, Kynemon finally spoke.
“There’s one mage tower I want to see burn to the ground.”